Ward Bennett created everything from interiors and furniture to textiles and flatware. The unsung New York City-born modernist designer drew on the work of Le Corbusier and Auguste Rodin, studied art with the likes of Abstract Expressionist painter Hans Hofmann and counted legendary American luxury house Tiffany & Co. among his clients. For decades, Bennett created and filled spaces that were elegant, minimalist and deeply appealed to everyone who laid eyes on them.
Bennett left home and school at the young age of 13. He found work in Manhattan’s Garment District, and within a few years, Bennett traveled to Europe on behalf of a clothing manufacturer to gather ideas for modern garments. He lived abroad as a young man, and when he returned to New York, during the early 1940s, he assisted fashion entrepreneur Hattie Carnegie as a window dresser.
Bennett would also go on to share a sculpture studio with artist Louise Nevelson. He ventured into the world of jewelry design, creating necklaces, bracelets and other pieces with Richard Pousette-Dart. The Whitney Museum of American Art exhibited his sculptures, and it wouldn’t be long before the Museum of Modern Art included Bennett’s personal adornments with accessories by the likes of Alexander Calder, Harry Bertoia and Anni Albers in its 1946 “Modern Handmade Jewelry” show.
Bennett didn’t take the plunge into interior design work until he was 30 years old — his inaugural project was an apartment in Manhattan and his clients were family members. He had no formal training in architecture or decorating — and would ultimately design a mere handful of houses in his life — so for his inviting leather office chairs, marble-topped tables and sleek storage cabinets, Bennett relied only on what he learned in the fashion world. Soon, every time he redecorated his own home — an elaborate apartment comprising former maids’ quarters in New York City’s magnificent Dakota building — it earned splashy coverage in the newspapers.
Bennett’s client list eventually included David Rockefeller and Chase Manhattan Bank, Tiffany & Co., Sasaki, Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli, and others, and during the 1970s he became in-house designer for Brickel Associates, a role that would endure for more than two decades. His work is on permanent view at the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York.
On 1stDibs, find vintage Ward Bennett seating, decorative objects and more.
Pair Ward Bennet Black Enamel i Beam End Side Occasional Tables Stands Mint
By Ward Bennett
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Pair Ward Bennet black enamel 22"h I beam end side occasional tables stands mint.
Steel
$1,718 / set
H 15.75 in W 13.3 in D 13.3 in
Pair of Midcentury Made, Dismantable Solid Oak End Tables of Excellent Condition
Located in Lisse, NL
Rare, stylish and highly practical pair of midcentury tables. These beautifully designed and smartly handcrafted end tables or small pedestals could not be in better condition. We t...
Oak
$2,500 / set
H 10 in W 10 in D 10 in
Ward Bennett Inspired Pair Enameled Steel I-Beam Side or End Tables Mid-Century
By Ward Bennett
Located in Philadelphia, PA
In creating a prototype, Ward Bennett actually cut off a section of a steel I-beam to achieve the raw aesthetic he was after. Here, a pair of solid enameled steel side tables after h...
Enamel, Steel
Modern Multifunctional 'X' Steel Side Table and Rack
By Argosy Designs, Erik Johnson
Located in Treadwell, NY
Collection I: X Rack The X Rack is an elegant, minimal, and modern object that is both sculptural and functional - a crisp silhouette creating the illusion that the form and its c...
Steel
$2,995
H 17 in W 21.75 in D 18 in
1947 Charles and Ray Eames IT-1 Incidental Folding Side Kids Table Herman Miller
By Charles and Ray Eames, Herman Miller
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Retains rare paper label.
Steel
French Designer, Side Table, Mahogany, Marble, Bronze, France, 1940s
By Maison Jansen
Located in Stamford, CT
A small Maison Jansen style claw foot and bronze mounted marble-top circular end or side table. Mahogany, Bronze, Marble France, 1940s
Marble, Bronze
$1,013 / item
H 30.12 in W 12.21 in D 11.03 in
Pair of Hardwood Whatnot Adjustable Side End Tables Cake Stands Display Stands
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this nice pair of vintage adjustable side table stands A good looking and decorative pair, they would be ideally suited as display tables, you c...
Hardwood
Mid Century Side End Occasional Table after McCobb
By Paul McCobb
Located in New York, NY
Nice diminutive Mid Century table having a circular wood top, on wrought iron legs. The top is newly repainted to semi gloss white, the legs to semi gloss black, creating a striking...
Wrought Iron
Italian Mid-Century Hexagonal End Tables
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This beautiful pair of vintage modern end tables feature a white laminate top and a walnut base. Sleek design with unusual cut-out designs on all sides and a hexagonal shape. Versati...
Laminate, Walnut
$2,500 / set
H 18 in W 6 in D 6 in
Ward Bennett Inspired Pair Enameled Steel I-Beam Drink Stands or End Tables
By Ward Bennett
Located in Philadelphia, PA
In creating a prototype, Ward Bennett actually cut off a section of a steel I-beam to achieve the raw aesthetic he was after. Here, a pair of solid enameled steel drink stands after ...
Enamel, Steel
Dos Gallos Custom Walnut Wood Round Beehive Pedestal End Table
By Dos Gallos Studio
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Custom beehive pedestal side table by Dos Gallos. Can be made in walnut, mahogany and Oak in most any dimension and a choice of finishes. As shown 26 D x 24.25 H in medium walnut wit...
Walnut
$3,500
H 42 in W 13.88 in D 13.88 in
Neal Small Cityscape Light Pedestal Table Stand for Kovacs / Paul Evans Sonneman
By Neal Small, George Kovacs, Paul Evans
Located in Chicago, IL
Neal Small Tall Illuminated Light Pedestal Table Stand for Kovacs. In the style of Paul Evans Cityscape Line. Nice to use for sculpture or Glass/Ceramic Arts corners of the removab...
Metal
Mid-20th Century Gilt Bronze Pedestal / Side Tables
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Mid-20th century pair of gilt gold and paint decorative bronze pedestal / side tables with exterior design details. Each table is in good condition. Minor wear consistent with age / ...
Gold, Bronze
Sold
H 15 in W 12 in D 12 in
Ward Bennett Modern White 3078 I-Beam Table and Stool for Brickell, C. 1969, USA
By Geiger International, Ward Bennett
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Ward Bennett modern white 3078 I-beam occasional table for Brickel Associates, 1960s, USA. Provenance: Brickel Associates; Property from a Private New York City Collection. Measures: 15"H x 12"W x 12"D. Bennett sought to create a design style that was uniquely American, versus the popular European design styles of the 1960s and 70's. His style was called "sensual minimalism" for his blending of industrial design and aesthetic look. He is considered one of the first designers to use industrial design and the industrial aesthetic in home design. Hailed by the American Institute of Architects, Bennett is credited as an American pioneer in the use of industrial materials for home furnishings – a prime example being his early ’60s I Beam Table, which employs a section of beam for a base. Ward Bennett’s career began at age 13, when he quit school to work in New York’s Garment District. At 16 he went to Europe and continued working in fashion. Despite attending art schools in Florence and Paris, he was mostly self-taught, with skills ranging from jewelry-making to interior design. “I learn from people,” he said, referencing influences including Georgia O’Keeffe. Bennett eventually settled in New York, where his reputation earned him many high-profile clients. Lyndon Johnson later asked Bennett to design a chair for his presidential library—“a cross between a barroom chair and a courtroom chair...
Steel
Pair of Ash and Leather Tables by Ward Bennett
By Ward Bennett
Located in Dallas, TX
A pair of ash framed tables with inset green leather tops. Designed by Ward Bennett for Brickel.
Leather
Ward Bennett Steel I Beam Occasional Table
By Ward Bennett
Located in Southampton, NJ
From 1978, comes a wonderful I shaped beam occasional table from Ward Bennett of Brickel associates. perfect size to put anyway your desire. Yet, one of the heaviest occasional tabl...
Steel
Two-Tier Table by Ward Bennett for Brickel Associates, 1968
By Ward Bennett
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A two-tiered carved ash coffee or side table in natural oil finish with Brickel leather planar surfaces over four swivel casters. Model 1260. Marked on underside.
Leather, Ash
Pair of Oak and Leather Tables by Ward Bennett
By Ward Bennett
Located in Dallas, TX
A pair of oak framed tables with inset leather tops by Ward Bennett.
Leather Lamp Tables by Ward Bennett
By Ward Bennett
Located in Chicago, IL
Lamp tables by Ward Bennett for Brickel. Ebonized wood frames with black leather surfaces.
Wood, Leather
Pair of Oak and Leather Tables by Ward Bennett
By Ward Bennett
Located in Dallas, TX
A pair of oak framed lamp tables with insert dark brown leather tops by Ward Bennett.
Ward Bennet Ibeam Side Table
By Ward Bennett
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Nice I-beam side table introduced by Ward Bennet.
Steel
Leather & Ash Tables By Ward Bennett
By Ward Bennett
Located in Sagaponack, NY
A pair of sled leg end tables with a central shelf and top covered in the original brown leather.
Wood, Leather